


The Promise

by DaniCarli



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Baby, Brother-Sister Relationships, Comfort/Angst, Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Funeral, Gen, Guilt, Heartbreaking, Hope, Hopeful Ending, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Joey wanting to be a better person, Loss, Love, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Matt's a fighter, One Shot, Orphaned, Other, People are sad, Platonic Relationships, Post FunHouse/Pre Wicked Witches, Pregnancy, Promises, Redemption, Remorse, Resurrection, Secrets, Self-Blame, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Unconditional Love, a secret revealed, cute Rosanna, hopeful, memorial, morgue, pregnant wife, protective Rosanna, set up for a new friendship, wanting to make things right, wanting to protect a friend, why is he protecting him?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-23 06:36:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18148391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniCarli/pseuds/DaniCarli
Summary: "Promise me you’ll do everything in your power to bring Matt home!”What made Joey decide to become Team Boy Scout in Episode 9, "Control Issues"?  You could say a Jet Setter, who loved her best friend, asked him for a favor.  Here's what happened Post "Funhouse"/Pre "Wicked Witches"!





	The Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Flashbacks to other character deaths, foreshadowing of a death, self-loathing and blame, and an ultimate cinnamon roll tugging you in the feels!  
> Special thanks to canufeelthemagictonight for helping me clean and make this one-shot look presentable!

It’s almost 2:30 in the morning and Joey feels colder than he was an hour before. As the night gets darker and the group gets smaller, the cold around the town gets icier.

Pulling his jacket close to him, Joey waits outside Everlock’s morgue for Rosanna and Matt, who are saying their final goodbyes to their recent fallen friend, Safiya Nygaard.

After Safiya was unfairly killed (Willy ambushed them in the lounge and murdered her with a fishhook, _damn_ _him!_ ), Matt was adamant about burying the Investigative Reporter. The Detective didn’t care what Manny and Nikita had to say; Safiya deserved _better_! She deserved a proper resting place, not left to bleed out on the floor.

Calliope suggested the morgue nearby, so Matt, along with Rosanna and Joey, took Safiya’s body over, while Nikita and Manny chose to wait in the lounge. Despite the limited time they had to cleanse the artifacts, the trio and their guide gave their friend a mini memorial service and took their time to say goodbye.

Joey left a minute ago so the other two could have a moment, given how close they were to Safiya. As he waits outside in the chilly night, Joey glances in the direction of the lounge. A part of Joey hopes Manny and Nikita will show up and say their peace, but deep down, he knows better. Those two aren’t coming, especially not after the intense fight between Nikita and Matt over Safiya’s death.

Joey admits that he agrees with Matt. The Savant said it once and he’ll say it again: it’s not fair what happened to Safiya! But despite their uncalled-for outburst, he also understands where Manny and Nikita are coming from. The two are best friends, and they were forced to fight against each other in a death challenge because Safiya and Rosanna voted for them; of course they’ll be mad and hurt about it!

However, Joey knows that Safiya felt guilty about her choice; he saw it in her eyes when he and Matt returned. As the winners of the Funhouse, the girls had to make a difficult decision, and Safiya’s expression read that she wasn’t happy about it. Seeing the look on the Investigative Reporter’s face, it was almost similar to when she (no, _they!_ ) murdered Colleen in the Maiden of Madness.

It’s been two hours since the Maiden, but Colleen’s deathly screams are still fresh in Joey’s mind. Colleen was one of his oldest and closest friends, and he killed her because she called him a liar and accused him of intentionally putting his friends in danger; in a way, she was _right_! The Disco Dancer’s death continues to weigh heavily on Joey’s conscience, just as the note said it would, and no amount of excuses or rationalization will lift it!

_I_ _never_ _meant_ _for_ _any_ _of_ _this_ _to_ _happen!_ the Savant reflects in despair, _I_ _just_ _wanted_ _to_ _make_ _things_ _right!_ _But_ _instead,_ _I’ve_ _only_ _made_ _things_ worse _!_ _It_ _doesn’t_ _matter_ _what_ _I_ _do_ _from_ _here_ _on_ _out,_ _I’m_ _just_ _going_ _to_ _lose_ _everyone_ _and_ _everything_ _in_ _the_ _end!_

Tears begin to pool in Joey’s eyes.

_Oh_ _who_ _am_ _I_ _kidding?_ _I’ll_ _never_ _redeem_ _myself!_ _Not_ _after_ _how_ _I_ _betrayed_ _and_ _killed_ _my_ _friends!_ _I_ _threw_ _it_ _all_ _away_ _when_ _I_ _brought_ _them_ _here_ _in_ _the_ _first_ _place!_ _And_ _the_ _worst_ _part?_ _They’re_ _people_ _who_ _loved_ _me,_ trusted _me,_ _and_ _my_ _selfish_ _ass_ _took_ _advantage_ _of_ _that!_ _I_ _allowed_ _this_ _damn_ _town_ _to_ _corrupt_ _us,_ _turn_ _everyone_ _against_ _one_ _another,_ _kill_ _each_ _other!_ _I’m_ _no_ _better_ _than_ _the_ _Carnival_ _Master,_ _if_ _anything_ _I’m_ worse _!_

Joey immediately stops and tries to pull himself together to avoid a mental breakdown. He can’t lose it now, not when they’re so close to saving Everlock! Despite the current rift, the group is down to five people and they all have to be united as a team to survive, now more than ever!

But Joey can’t help but need the motivation to remind himself he’s still a good person, a personal goal of some kind! That he’s more than just the guy who kills off his friends! Saving a town or even performing a resurrection just isn’t enough!

“Joey?” A soft voice awakes the blonde man from his thoughts. Joey turns to see Rosanna and Calliope stepping out of the morgue. The Jet Setter’s face is stained with tears, her eyes red and puffy from crying as she walks over to Joey. Calliope waits by the entrance for Matt who has yet to appear.

“Matt just wanted a moment alone,” Rosanna explains. “He’ll be out in a minute, but he said that if you needed to get back to the lounge, you can just go without him.”

“No, we’ll wait,” Joey looks back to the morgue’s entrance. “How’s he holding up?”

Rosanna twists her Platform Oxfords in the dirt. “Still shaken, but Matt always knows how to pull himself together. He’ll be alright!”

It’s clear that Rosanna’s still worried about her best friend, and Joey’s heart also feels for the Detective. Ever since the group brought him back to life with the harp, Matt hasn’t been the same. He appears to be more affected by things around him, and he’s on edge when the unexpected happens. To be honest, Joey can’t blame Matt, especially after what the other man went through. The Savant can relate, given that he knows a thing or two about dying and suddenly coming back to life.

Unlike Joey however, Matt wasn’t given time to process what happened to him. He was immediately put back to work solving clues and puzzles, although he didn’t seem to have a problem with it. But when Willy gutted Safiya in front of them, all helpless to save her, it brought out a huge reaction in Matt.

Then Manny and Nikita came back and got all smug, saying Safiya deserved to die, and Matt went off like a bomb. It was terrifying as well as heartbreaking to see the normally calm and reasonable Detective explode with rage. In all the three nights that Joey’s endured, he’s never seen anyone as angry and devastated as Matt over a friend (even Alex, _rest_ _in_ _peace_ , wasn’t at that level!). God help them all if _Rosanna_ was the one killed instead of Safiya!

_Good_ _thing_ _it_ _didn’t_ _come_ _to_ _that!_ Joey thinks, standing next to Rosanna as they wait for the brunette man.

“Listen,” Rosanna says, breaking the silence. Joey glances at her and sees the Jet Setter contemplating over something, her hands rubbing against each other to provide warmth.

Joey’s eyes give her a comforting gaze. “What is it Ro?” he asks, a nervous feeling developing in his body.

“Well….the thing is,” Rosanna says carefully, looking for her words, “Safiya’s death proved that _anything_ can happen! Even if you’re not in the challenge, you’re still not safe! I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and I’m not sure that it’s fair game for us all.”

Joey’s stomach twists in knots. He feels like he knows what Rosanna’s about to say, and he isn’t sure whether he wants to hear it. Yet he lets her speak.

“I love you, I trust you, and I don’t regret having your back; I would do it all over again!” Rosanna’s lips quiver, and she stares at the ground as if in shame. “But when Matt died, I felt like I lost my family, my platonic other half! It…I don’t know…it was as if a piece of myself was ripped away!” the Jet Setter cries, her voice breaking.

Joey comfortingly rubs her shoulder as he recalls the Detective’s gruesome death at the hands of the Strong Man. It happened hours ago but like every one of his friends’ deaths, it’s still very vivid in Joey’s mind. “No, Ro, I get it!” he says, “what happened to Matt…I regret what happened _so_ _much_! All I could think about at the time was staying alive for the mission, that I had to make sure I wasn’t the one to go in! But in doing so, Matt paid the price! And for that, I’m _so_ _sorry_!”

Rosanna shakes her head with a reassuring smile, “No, it was a terrible situation that we had no control over! And it all worked out in the end! We got the harp, and you saved Matt! You brought him back to me, you fixed a mistake! Besides, he confirmed you were telling the truth!”

Joey stares at the ground, leftover remorse clouding over him. “Still doesn’t excuse me for throwing him under the bus!”

The Savant feels Rosanna’s little hand slip into his, giving it a loving squeeze. The Jet Setter quickly peeks back to the morgue’s door before looking at Joey, her smile disappearing and replaced with a look of sincerity. “The point of the matter is,” she says, “I need you to promise me something.”

Joey knows exactly where this is going. “Ro…” he tries to protest.

“No! Let me say this!” Rosanna’s brown eyes anchoring to Joey’s olive ones. Joey takes a deep breath, preparing for the heartbreak that’s to come. “I don’t know what to expect now, given that the last challenge was a trick! After everything that’s happened, I’m pretty sure _I_ don’t even have a chance of making it out of Everlock alive!” Tears return to the Jet Setter’s eyes. “I’m not saying I’m giving up! I’ll keep fighting but…should I die and Matt’s still here…” From there, Rosanna bursts. “He _can’t_ die again, Joey! We cannot let him die, especially if he has a chance to escape! He’s going to need help, and I don’t want to leave him alone!”

“Ro,” Joey trying to assure his friend, “he won’t be! He’s proven to be a team player and without a doubt the toughest fighter here! Sure, things are tense now, but we’ll all be a team and stick it out together!”

Rosanna shakes her head. “You don’t understand, Joey! Matt _has_ to survive, now more than ever! When he died the first time, he almost lost _everything_!”

Joey looks at Rosanna in confusion. “Wait, what are you talking about?”

Rosanna anxiously shuffles her shoes in the Everlock dirt. She whispers what sounds like an apology before moving forward. “Matt asked me not to say anything but…well…Stephanie, his wife…well...”

Joey can’t take it! “Ro, what about his wife?!”

Rosanna looks back at Joey, feeling guilty for betraying a secret. “She’s pregnant, Joey!”

Joey’s world freezes in place. “She’s… _what?!_ ”

“Six months along. It’s their first, a little boy,” Rosanna confesses with a sad smile, “and Matt came on this mission because, according to him, it would be the last adventure he’d have before he became a father.”

In that moment, Joey’s guilt magnifies to the size of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He immediately flashes back to the funeral of Glozell Green, two years prior. The Savant remembers watching Glozell’s husband mourning over his wife’s casket, a newborn cradled in his arms. Joey later learned from Glozell’s mother that before the events of the first massacre, the late Jazz Singer was expecting a child via surrogate. The older woman talked about how Glozell and her husband were trying for years to have children, and when the procedure worked and the surrogate got pregnant, the couple were over the moon. All Glozell ever wanted was to be a mom.

And Joey took that away when he betrayed and killed Glozell with a _murder_ _journal_! No rationalization of “she came after me!” or “it was her or me!” would ever excuse Joey for causing Glozell’s daughter to grow up motherless!

_And_ _I_ _almost_ _did_ _it_ _again_ _with_ _Matt!_ , Joey’s mind screams in remorse, _Yes,_ _I_ _resurrected_ _him,_ _but_ _still!_

“Ro, I _swear_ I didn’t know!”, Joey rambles, “And if I did, believe me, I would have never invited him, I would have never deliberately put him in danger--”

“Joey, I know!”, Rosanna interrupts, trying to calm the Savant down. “I know you would never do such a thing! And Matt knows that too!”

A question itches in Joey’s brain. “Why didn’t he say anything before? When we found out people were going to die, why didn’t Matt speak up? If he had mentioned his child, it would have changed everything!” _At_ _least_ _for_ _me_ , he adds silently. _I_ _don’t_ _know_ _what_ _difference_ _it_ _would’ve_ _made_ _for_ _the_ _others._

“The first time,” Rosanna explains, “Matt didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to label himself as more important! He believes that everyone deserves to live, no matter who they are or what they stand to lose. He refused to use his baby as leverage against the others, thinking his skills and talents would be enough keep him safe.”

Joey nods in agreement. Matt did indeed give it his all to show how valuable he was to the group. He even did splits at one point just to avoid being voted in! Joey never planned on voting Matt into the challenges at all...that is, until the Strong Man challenge blew everything out the window.

It wasn’t fair that only boys would be voted in. Given that there were only three boys, Joey knew that there would be a target on his back. It was important that he not go in, no matter what. So the Savant made the difficult choice to vote for the Detective to increase his odds, and in the end, it saved him.

It was also during that time that Joey confessed about his own death and the contract he signed with the Society Against Evil to save Everlock. Thinking back to when Joey revealed his secret, it makes perfect sense why Matt was more livid about it than everyone else. _He_ _has_ _a_ _child_ _on_ _the_ _way_ _and_ _I_ _was_ _willing_ _to_ _sacrifice_ _him,_ _and_ _others,_ _to_ _save_ _myself!_ _Yes,_ _and_ _also_ _to_ _make_ _things_ _right,_ _but_ _I’m_ _not_ _even_ _sure_ _now_ _if_ that’s _even_ _true!_

“What about when he came back?” Joey asks.

Rosanna folds her lips, a small smile forming.“When he came back from the dead, Matt could see that the group, you _especially_ , were very remorseful about what happened. He didn’t want us to feel any worse than we already did! Besides, Matt always leaves things in the past; he never saw the point in holding grudges!”

This doesn’t surprise Joey. The Detective’s a good person, reasonable to a fault. Of course he would just let things go! Even as Matt was being murdered by the Strong Man, he remained a team player. Instead of screaming or pleading for his life, Matt used his final moments to tell the group to look for the final Lazarus coin! This in turn motivated Joey to find that coin and redeem himself (at least for a moment) and from there, he managed to fix one mistake out of the many mistakes he’s made in the past three years.

“Yeah,” Joey mutters, “that does sound like Matt!”

Rosanna nods, “Which is why it’s so important he survives tonight!”

The Jet Setter takes both Joey’s hands, her warmth enveloping his cold.

“I’m _not_ saying you choose him over Manny and Nikita! I know those two are your closest friends and I would _never_ ask that of you! I just ask, should I not make it, to please at least do the best you can to have his back! Promise me you’ll do everything in your power to bring Matt home!”

Overwhelming sadness spreads through Joey. He doesn’t want anyone else to die, but he knows they need to cleanse two more artifacts which means two more of his friends will be sacrificed. Rosanna and the other three proved they deserve to survive the night and regardless, it will break Joey’s heart whoever the final two deaths are.

After Colleen, Joey doesn’t want to betray more of his friends. He doesn’t want to get anymore blood on his hands than he already has.

Hearing this new information about Matt and his unborn child definitely complicates things. Yes Rosanna isn’t asking much from him, and Joey wasn’t going to vote for Matt again anyway. But with time running out and voting getting so much harder, Joey doesn’t know what to do!

“I can’t promise much,” Joey replies to Rosanna, “hell, in a place like this, promises are meaningless! And you’re right, I can’t turn on Manny and Nikita! Sure they can be a bit…bold, but they’re my friends too! However, I can promise I’ll do my best! I’ll do what I’m able to control to ensure Matt at least has a chance, no matter what happens, okay?”

Rosanna smiles, hugging the blonde man.

“That’s all I need to hear!” the Jet Setter whispers.

Joey gives her a sad smile. “Just please, try to stay alive too!” he tells Rosanna.

Before the Jet Setter can say anything, both of them hear Calliope make a noise and turn to see Matt walking out of the morgue in a state of calm despair. Rosanna breaks from Joey and goes to hug her best friend. Joey watches them embrace from afar, seeing everything now in a new light.

_Whatever_ _happens_ , Joey tells himself, _I’ll_ _do_ _the_ _best_ _I_ _can!_

An hour later, Rosanna’s killed by a trio of witches after losing the challenge against Matt, Joey, and Manny. The Jet Setter is taken to the altar and sacrificed, her final screams echoing through the town.

The boys rejoin Nikita in Fat Man Slims. Together, they restore Maria her youth and reunite her with her brother. The Wicker Man is cleansed, leaving only one more artifact to obtain before the group can go home.

As the final four wait for the next clue to appear on the map, Joey can’t help but stare at Matt. Witnessing their final exchange, Matt and Rosanna’s goodbyes were filled with nothing but unconditional love. Rosanna wasn’t afraid to die. Joey heard her even laugh as she told Matt she loved him.

Joey looks into the eyes of the Detective. While there’s sadness, the Savant also sees determination, the will to keep fighting!

Joey failed to save Rosanna; it was his fault she got cursed to begin with! Because of that, she was automatically put in the challenge and she died.

Pushing the guilt aside, the blonde thinks back to what Rosanna asked of him; the promise should something happen to her.

Thinking about it now, after everything Rosanna did for him tonight, Joey knows he owes it to the little Jet Setter to have her friend’s back just as she had his. Not just to honor Rosanna but to be the good person she believed in, even when he didn’t! When Joey brought Matt back to life, it was a second chance for both men; why waste such an opportunity?

Matt catches Joey looking at him and flashes a smile of his own. The two acknowledge their loss as they wait for the last obstacle before it’s finally over.

_Promise_ _me_ _you’ll_ _do_ _everything_ _in_ _your_ _power_ _to_ _bring_ _Matt_ _home!_

Joey sees Calliope slide the Jet Setter card into the ticket box along with the five other cards of their dead friends.

As Rosanna’s smiling face disappears into the slot, Joey repeats his vow with meaning.

_I_ _promise!_

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wondered why Joey suddenly became protective of Matt in "Control Issues" given they aren't as close as Joey is to Manny and Nikita. One reason could have been Joey being all "I saved him, now he's my responsibility" which may be true. But the Savant had the Detective's back, from defending him to volunteering the Sass Squad to wear the collar and the handcuffs. Why the change?  
> One other possibility is Rosanna told Joey about Stephanie and the baby; that would for sure change anyone's mind (unless you're Nikita, but who knows with her!) Would explain why Joey pulled the stops to protect Matt.  
> That thought inspired that fic and give a reason why Joey and Matt became better friends.  
> Thank you all for reading and please leave a comment of your thoughts on this fic and what I should try in the future.  
> Until next time!


End file.
